


The Eight Days of Christmas

by sophie_evelyn



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Smut, and its christmas time, honestly a bit of everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-09-19 20:24:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17008605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophie_evelyn/pseuds/sophie_evelyn
Summary: It's Debbie and Lou's first Christmas together in six years and everything has changed. Will it be a happy Christmas or will their own fears and doubts leave them lonely this Christmas?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> That summary is super cheesy but I'm terrible at summaries. I planned on this being a fluff fest but it turned into more of an angsty fluffy combination with some smut thrown in the middle. 
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this, please let me know what you think!

It had been seven months since the success of the Toussaint heist. Seven months of excitement, adjustment and ultimately, the creation of their new, more privileged lives. Over the months, the group’s contact had wavered slightly but they still texted frequently and the group chat was still flooded with selfies and the daily food porn that was sent from an always excitable Constance. One thing that all eight of them had agreed on was the holiday arrangements. They all had their own plans but they all promised to come together for at least one Christmas toast on Christmas day.

It was December 18th and Debbie was feeling particularly restless. Lou had recently returned from her trip around the west coast and they were still yet to have the ‘where are we?’ chat which they had been dancing around ever since she had been released from jail earlier that year. She had been staying at Lou’s place ever since her release and she had gradually been making the place more her own since Lou had been absent.

Unlike the other girls, she hadn’t known what to spend her small fortune on. In fact, she still had most of it and she planned on keeping it until she knew exactly what it was that she wanted to spend it on. She had, however, treated herself to a couple of designer purses, shoes and dresses which had all taken residence in the closet that she now shared with Lou.

Lou had returned at the end of October, just in time for Halloween which made for a number of ‘return of the witch’ jokes that, of course, Debbie had tired out within the first hour of her arrival. Most of their conversations had been around Lou’s trip and the outcome and future events of the heist. Becker’s trial was approaching and Debbie wanted nothing more than to see his face fall when he was read the guilty verdict. Lou wasn’t so sure, she knew how suspicious it would look if Debbie was present for the trial.

In fact, it seemed that all of their conversations avoided the one that was the most needed. Things had, most of the time, remained platonic between them. There had been moments when their eyes had met for a fraction too long and times when their hands had brushed against each other’s just slightly too lovingly. And then there were a couple of times that they had spent the night within each other’s arms after a night of passionate lovemaking. But, that’s what friends did, _wasn’t it?_

Debbie tried not to think about it and she knew that Lou was doing the same. Neither of them wanted that discussion, each of them fearing that they weren’t what the other wanted. Debbie’s thoughts were heading into dangerous territory once again and she needed to keep her mind off of Lou; that prospect seeming to be a million times more difficult now that she had no heist to keep her mind entertained.

She practically fell over the box of Christmas decorations that had been sitting on the floor for the past few days. Lou had bought them a tree a few days earlier and it had yet to receive its holiday makeover. She bent down and picked up a glass ornament that was in the shape of the Statue of Liberty, the figure holding a snowflake in place of the usual torch. She brushed her thumb over it, a smile creeping onto her face as she looked over at the bare tree in the corner of the room. Decorating the tree would certainly keep her occupied.

An hour passed and Debbie had not only ornamented the tree but she had also decorated the entire living room. Tinsel glittered over every corner and colorful lights lit up the whole area. Debbie’s motto, like with most things, had been to give 100% or to not bother at all and so that was what she had done.

The crack of the door ceased her from spraying a second snowflake onto the glass of one of the windows. She turned to face Lou who was grinning that impudent smirk that she always wore whenever she wanted to say ‘I told you so’. “Why does it look like Santa threw up in here?”

“I thought you were gonna be out all afternoon?” Debbie asked, her hand wrapped around the can of cheap, fake snow that she used to absolutely abhor but it made for nice window frames, so for now, she was tolerating it.

Lou looked around the room, her eyebrows raised in both amusement and admiration. “I thought you hated Christmas?” She placed her shopping bag onto the floor beside the couch and went to give the tree a closer inspection. “You used to call it a kids’ holiday.” She glanced up at the large golden star that topped the tree, sudden flashes of past Christmas’ that they had spent together dashing through her mind.

Debbie placed the can of snow down on the table and walked over to Lou. She would have been ignorant to have missed that despondent sound of wistfulness that laced every word that she had said. “I never said that I hated Christmas.” She uttered quietly once she was standing beside Lou. “But it _is_ a kids’ holiday.”

There was a short silence and Lou watched Debbie out of the corner of her eye. The red glow from the lights was shining on her, leaving a pinkish tinge to her skin. She wore a faint smile but that vacancy that had lived inside her eyes since her return from prison was still there. Lou had tried time and time again to get Debbie’s spark back and she was sure that it would have returned after the success of the heist but it had yet to make an appearance. After all of these years, Debbie only confused her more, she could be so close to her but there was always that little wall that she could never get past and that wall seemed to only get denser. Sometimes, it felt that post-jail time Debbie was an imposter, a shell of the Debbie that she used to know. “What was Christmas like inside?” She could see her tense up even before she had finished her sentence and she looked away, not knowing how Debbie was going to respond.

She hated talking about jail almost as much as she hated talking about her and Lou’s situation, however; the jail thing was due to a completely different feeling. She found it embarrassing, shameful and she still felt completely foolish to even have gotten herself in that position. She should have never trusted him and that mistake had led to the worst five years of her life. She shook her head, “It was lonely.” She saw Lou stare back at her and her face was soft and understanding, but she didn’t want this talk to get any deeper; not tonight anyway. She chuckled to lighten the mood and Lou looked at her in confusion before she spoke again. “Although we did get to decorate a tree with toilet paper.”

“The toilet paper Christmas tree, a nativity classic.” Lou smiled along with her, knowing only too well that Debbie was avoiding the topic; the same way that she avoided talking about Becker and how he had not only destroyed Debbie’s life but he had also destroyed her own. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to think about the past because it was _so_ long ago and both she and Debbie had moved on since then; hadn’t they?  “I, uh, I saw Tammy today.” She said and relief flooded through Debbie upon the change of subject.

“Oh yeah? I bet her kids are driving her up the wall at this time of year.” Debbie laughed to herself and turned her back on Lou, walking toward the couch and grabbing her cell phone from her pocket as she sat down.

Lou stared at the empty space that Debbie had left behind. “Yeah, they’re on a permanent candy high.”

“Fuck. They’ve moved Becker’s trial date again.” Debbie tossed her phone down onto the spare seat of the couch, not wanting to even read the reason as to why it had been moved this time around.

Lou sighed and turned away from the tree to look at Debbie. “Deb, you need to stop with this. He’s going down; you’ve got your revenge. You need to forget about him and move on.” She walked around to the couch, leaning her side on the back of it.

“I have moved on, I’m a millionaire and he’s rotting in some dirty jail cell where he belongs.” Debbie insisted that she had moved on but it didn’t mean that she still didn’t get a deep sense of satisfaction in seeing him fail. The downfall of Claude Becker would never not please her.

Lou picked up Debbie’s cell phone and placed it on the arm of the couch before sitting down beside her. “Then why are you checking his trial date at every hour of the day?”

Debbie sighed deeply, she thought that her habits had gone unnoticed by Lou but it seemed as if she had been incorrect. “Because...” She turned to Lou, _her_ Lou, who had been there for her every step of the god damn way. “Because he stole five years of my life from me and he ruined what we had. He destroyed us.”

The slight break in Debbie’s voice caused her to take her hand. Her instincts always screamed at her to protect her despite knowing that Debbie could look after herself better than most people out there could. Debbie’s fingers wrapped around hers and she stroked her thumb tenderly over the back of her hand. “Things weren’t good with us for a long time before Claude Becker.”

Debbie shook her head, defiant that all of their problems had been down to him. “We just needed a break but he forced us into a breakup and then put me behind bars.” She continued to shake her head as she thought about his betrayal and her naivety, she really should have known better.

“And that was shit, it was, but we can’t dwell on the past. It only makes you bitter and you’re awful cranky when you’re being bitter.” Lou let out a short, dry laugh and it seemed to hang unnaturally in the air for several uncomfortable seconds before Debbie spoke.

“Have you forgiven me?” She asked and it was the first time that she had asked that question outright. She could feel her heart beginning to pick up speed; if Lou answered in the negative then she didn’t know quite what she would do.

“I forgave you the first time that I visited you in prison.” Lou saw the sigh of relief coming from Debbie, recalling that very first time that she had seen her in that orange jumpsuit. The trial had been hard for her, she and Debbie had barely spoken since her arrest and she wasn’t even sure whether she should have been there but she needed to see what happened, she needed to say goodbye. She had waited almost a month before she had gained the courage to visit her and she hated every moment of it. The prison was smaller than she had imagined it would be and the women sharing the institute with her seemed cold and harsh. She had no doubt that Debbie would survive and she had no doubt that she would come back stronger than before but she knew that she wouldn’t be the same. Who could be after being confined for so long?

“Why?” Debbie asked and broke Lou out of her reverie.

“I knew you were never in love with him, not like you were with me.” Lou could see Debbie’s eyes begin to water but just as soon as they did, she sniffed them away.

“You were right, he was something new. A dangerous game that I thought I could master but just like in Monopoly I ended up in jail.” She stared ahead of herself, Claude Becker’s smug face entering her head. “I learned my lesson though; never will I trust a man ever again.”

Debbie’s disengagement caused her to change her tactics. She let go of her hand and that caused Debbie to turn back toward her. “I wish you woulda come on that road trip with me.” She said softly and shadowed her hand beside Debbie’s face, letting it brush through her long tresses. “Must have been shit staying here on your own.”

Debbie loved it when Lou touched her hair and she knew that Lou was aware of that fact. “I ain’t ever getting on the back of that bike again.” Her lips turned up into a small smile and Lou’s did the same. They had a running joke between them about Lou’s bike and how much Debbie hated the thing. Of course, she didn’t actually hate the bike; she just hated how dangerous it was. She had read up on them when Lou had first bought one and the figures regarding death due to motorcycle accident had terrified her. Lou’s hand grazed her cheek and her eyes fluttered closed at the touch. “I don’t need to be at that trial, just swear you’ll keep my mind off of it?”

Lou’s smile grew wider; knowing that deep down it would only cause Debbie more pain if she had to see Becker ever again. “I promise.” She tentatively leaned forward and kissed her; Debbie reciprocated and then let her lips linger closely to hers. “You look like you could do with a drink. I’m gonna make you a White Christmas.” Lou pulled away and made her way into the kitchen which was still half decorated with Christmas festivities.

Debbie watched Lou leave, her eyes unable to leave the subtle curves of her body. “A what?”

“A cocktail we serve at the club.” Lou grabbed a couple of glasses and looked for the cocktail shaker. Their home was beginning to become more organized but the kitchen still remained as haywire as it had done previous to Debbie’s arrival.

Debbie’s face fell at the mention of the club, hoping that she could spend the night cuddled up with Lou. Their recent heart to heart opening up a lot of her feelings which she knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore if she was home alone. “Are you going to the club tonight?”

Lou shook her head; she had no desire to leave Debbie that night, not for anything. “I’m sure they can manage without me.” Debbie smiled again and when she stood up the lights once again shined over her. Christmas was going to be different for both of them this year…


	2. Chapter 2

Debbie had awoken with Lou’s arms wrapped tightly around her. It had been a fairly easy night, she had only woken up three times and she had been able to fall asleep again reasonably quickly. The nightmares had started shortly after the heist had been completed; often involving her being sent back to jail but this time it was worse. This time it was a life sentence. The dreams always woke her and the sound of Lou’s gentle breathing beside her seemed to calm her like a lullaby until she could fall back to sleep again, preferably a dreamless one. She always did sleep better when she was in Lou’s arms.

They had spent the remainder of the previous evening half watching an old Christmas movie and trying out each of the various cocktails that Lou’s club was offering. Unlike at the club, Lou made her own cocktails rather strong and by the third one they had already started to feel tipsy. The rest of the night had been spent laughing and reminiscing and it had ended the way that most of their nights now seemed to end; in bed together.

The day was going to be dedicated to shopping, this year they had six additional people to buy for and so far they had a total of zero presents bought. Lou was sitting across the table from Debbie, a notepad sitting in front of her and a pen hanging from the edge of her mouth. As always, they had left the gift buying until just a week before Christmas. “You know this would have been a helluva a lot easier before our girls were millionaires.” She had never been big on Christmas shopping and usually, she only had her close family to buy for. This year was proving to be a welcoming yet stressful change.

Debbie hummed before nodding in agreement. “You’re right, are time machines a thing yet?”

“If they were d’ya think we’d still be here?” Lou countered back and watched as Debbie seemed to get lost in thought. She knew that last night’s discussion had only been the tip of the iceberg, but she knew Debbie and she knew that she’d talk to her in her own time.

Debbie could feel Lou’s eyes on her, her gaze seeming heavier than usual and it was making her slightly uncomfortable. “Let’s start with Constance.” She decided and Lou scribbled down her name onto the piece of paper in front of her.  

She thought for a moment before chuckling, “She definitely don’t need another cell phone.”

Debbie laughed too, Constance was certainly a character. “Why does anyone need three cell phones?”

“She has connections.” 

“Hm, maybe we should just get her another then?” Lou nodded and wrote down the word ‘cell phone’ next to Constance’s name.

“Okay, Amita. Definitely not a diamond. She’ll just analyze the cut and no one cuts a diamond quite like Amita.” Debbie noted before resting her chin on her elbow.

Lou agreed. “She’s moved into that new place in Greenwich Village, we can get her some house stuff.”

“Good idea.” She leaned forward to see what the next name on Lou’s list was. “Daphne already has everything.”

“Maybe we should get her her entire movie collection?”

“Like she doesn’t already have those but yeah, she’ll appreciate them anyway.”  

“Nine,” Lou asked while continuing to scribble down a series of words after each name.

“You know any pot dealers?” Debbie laughed before shaking her head. “We’ll get her something for her bar.”

“How about Tammy?” Lou looked up from the paper to Debbie.

“Amazon Prime cos I’m scared she’s getting too reliant on eBay.” Debbie sniggered and Lou let out a soft chuckle in return.

Lou reached the final name on her list. “Rose, she likes custom made shit, that’s why she’s a designer.”

“Custom made jar of Nutella. A year’s supply of.” Debbie said with a firm nod convinced that she had just thought of the most perfect gift for her friend.

Lou finished writing down the ideas and looked up once more at Debbie who was already staring back at her. “That was easy. Now we just have each other to think about.” Debbie was both the easiest and hardest person to buy for. Easy because she knew her so well but hard because each year she had the challenge of topping what she had gotten her the previous year.

“What makes you think I’ll be getting you anything this year?” Debbie smirked and rested her hand on Lou’s wrist, her thumb trailing over the cool gold of her watch.

“You’re my gir-” She stopped abruptly; she needed to stop getting lost in the past because she and Debbie weren’t girlfriends anymore. They were this weird thing that was located somewhere between friendship and kinship and involved kissing and sex and discreet displays of love but never with too much affection. She cleared her throat. “I mean; we always get each other gifts.”

Debbie had frozen upon hearing Lou’s slip of the tongue. She opened her mouth; it would be the perfect time to have that talk, but her head seemed to be filled with nothing but cloud and she closed her mouth again almost as quickly as she had opened it. She withdrew her hand from Lou and stood up, sending her a half smile. “I’m gonna grab my coat, it’s cold out.”

Lou just nodded and watched as Debbie rushed out of the room. She slammed the pen down on the counter; she was exhausted and she knew that she couldn’t go on much longer like this. It was unfair to both her and Debbie, neither one of them could move on even if they wanted to. She was tied to Debbie and she probably always would be.

Debbie had spent longer than necessary in collecting her coat from her bedroom. Her bedroom which was practically just a storage room seeing as she spent most of her time in Lou’s. She berated herself as she slipped her arms into her jacket, all she had to do was tell Lou how she felt, she had done it thousands of times before in the past; why did it seem so hard for her to do it now?

She waited for a moment longer, not ready to face Lou just yet. She missed being her girlfriend, she missed the easiness of their relationship and how they knew each other inside out. She had gotten greedy though and she had wanted to take a risk and that risk was Claude Becker. She really wished that time machine did exist because if it did then she would go back and make sure that she never met that son of a bitch. She would go back and treat Lou the way she should’ve done in the first place.

Lou had started pacing, it hadn’t gone unnoticed that Debbie had taken more than five minutes just to fetch her damn coat. She had been patient with her, more than patient. She knew that Debbie would need time to adjust, to settle into a routine, to get used to life out of prison with no heist to keep her occupied. She had given her time alone, time to think, time to decide what it was that she wanted. She had been _so_ patient.

Debbie appeared with a smile and her hands stuffed into her pockets. Her hair had been tied back and she seemed to avoid making any eye contact with Lou that lasted any longer than a couple of seconds. “Ready?” She asked and she could see the stoic expression on Lou’s face. It pained her that that look was being reserved for her, she already missed that full smile of hers.

“Sure,” Lou answered and grabbed her own coat which was laying on the side of the couch. She stuffed the list in her pocket and headed for the door, not looking back to check whether Debbie was following her or not.

“Lou?” Debbie called out and Lou looked at her with that same blank expression. There it was again, that same cloudy feeling inside her head, the bitter dryness in her mouth, that thumping in her chest. _I wanna be your girlfriend again. I want to be your girlfriend._ “I, uh. I’m sorry.” She sighed; at least it was a start.

Lou swallowed and she didn’t know what Debbie was apologizing for but she figured it was for a whole number of reasons. It wasn’t what she had wanted to hear but at least it meant that Debbie was aware that there was a problem between them. “Yeah, me too, Deb.” She said sadly and Debbie looked back at her flatly with an emptiness filling her eyes.

Debbie blinked, not knowing how to respond. She had put Lou through so much over the past six years and by some kind of miracle, she was still there. But that was Lou, she was fiercely loyal and once you had won her heart there was no letting go of her. Debbie had taken that for granted and maybe she was still doing that. She needed to tell her that she loved her, that she had never stopped loving her and that she and the heist were the only two things that had kept her going while she was in prison. Lou looked away. The time wasn’t right.

“Come on, we need to beat the lunchtime rush.” She held the door open for Debbie and for a few seconds she had remained anchored to her spot in the loft, just staring right at her. Then she saw the color return to her cheeks and she was walking toward her, the old Debbie coming back to life. She knew that the rest of the day would return to normal. More sidestepping of any real issues and if they were lucky they would be laughing again by the time they made it to the subway station. Because that’s what they always did, they pretended. They pretended that everything was fine because it hurt a lot less than discussing the truth. The truth that was built on years of hurt and heartache and it seemed that it was only getting more painful with each passing day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ratings change!

It had been a long day. A day full of figures and numbers and a deep regret of not hiring an accountant to tackle all of that paperwork for her. She had battled through the rain to get home at a reasonable hour, hoping to catch Debbie before she went to bed. She had told her she wouldn’t spend all day at the club but things hadn’t gone according to plan.

She had expected Debbie to be angry with her, but it seemed that anger was the farthest thing from her mind. She was greeted by Debbie, leaning on the doorframe to their bedroom flaunting nothing but a branch of mistletoe and a mischievous smile. Her dark hair brushed over the top of her nipples and one of her legs crossed over the other, elongating her body even more so than it already was. She looked like a damn goddess.

She faltered for a moment, her eyes raking over every inch of her body. Her mouth was dry and no matter how hard she tried to speak, no words seemed to make their way out. She took off her coat and let it fall to the floor, her eyes still dancing all over Debbie’s naked form; part of her wondering whether she had drunk too much tequila or if this was actually happening.

“Miss me?” Debbie asked cheekily, dangling the mistletoe to and fro above her head. She bent her knee and her other arm was reaching out to grasp Lou despite her still being too far away to actually get a hold of her.

The previous night they had fallen asleep quickly, things were still a little frosty between them and it meant that they had barely even cuddled let alone have done anything else. Debbie had spent the whole day missing Lou, lusting over the image of her in her head and frankly, she was horny as hell for her.

Lou hummed, again failing to find any words when she was being faced with an image such as the one presented in front of her. She made short work in walking upstairs to the bedroom and Debbie grabbed her by the collar of her shirt as soon as she was near enough, pulling her toward her and crashing their lips together.

She tossed the mistletoe to the ground so that she could grip onto Lou tighter; her tongue finding its way into her mouth with a twisted ease. She ran a hand down Lou’s back, squeezing her ass through her pants which clung to her oh so, perfectly.

Lou could feel Debbie’s bare breasts pushing against the thin material of her shirt and she moaned softly, the heat coming from Debbie rushing over her in floods. “Deb… Mhm.” She tried to speak but Debbie was still attacking her with kisses and her hands had already wandered to her waist and she was pulling her closer and closer.

Debbie paused, her teeth dragging Lou’s bottom lip toward her. “Yes, baby?” She husked and ran her index finger over the buttons of her shirt.

Lou held her forehead against Debbie’s, she could see the darkness taking over her eyes and she swallowed from the intensity of it. “If I’d have known you were waiting for me like this I would’ve gotten away sooner.”

“You work too hard.” Debbie kissed her again and slowly started to unbutton her shirt. “Let me help you relax.” She undid another button and Lou could only lean into her touch, her breath slow and heavy.

Debbie undid another button and then another and she could see the patience slowly wane from Lou but she still continued to be unbearably slow while undressing her. She pushed the shirt off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor with a gentle thud. Her hand marveled over Lou’s cool skin, dancing over her collarbone before snaking behind and unhooking her bra.

Lou let out a shiver as she adjusted to the temperature of the room but Debbie’s hands were warm and her touch alone warmed her up in mere moments. She threaded her hands through Debbie’s hair, pulling her toward her. Debbie’s scent instantly hitting her and she reveled in it. Since her return from prison, she had appreciated every single moment she spent being intimate with her. She knew how precious time was and she had never taken her time with Debbie for granted since.

Lou’s lips found Debbie’s jawline and she nibbled gently, a moan passing through her. “You should surprise me like this more often.” She whispered against her lips and pushed her back into the direction of the bed.

Debbie grabbed hold of the waistband of Lou’s pants tugging at them impatiently, the whole slow teasing game beginning to wear thin with her. “Off,” She grunted with one final tug before giving up and letting Lou discard her own pants.

As soon as Lou was free from all clothing she pulled her down onto the bed, clambering on top of her. She kissed her, her tongue delving inside her mouth with an urgent need. She had been waiting for this all day and it seemed that her intimacy with Lou was truly the only thing that kept her mind from wandering to the past, which was ironic seeing as Lou was her past.

She trailed kisses down her neck, sucking at every spot that she knew Lou liked. She always knew how to please her, she knew her inside out and that fact made their sex life all the better. Lou’s hand trailed down Debbie’s body, her fingers toying with her clit despite being underneath her.

Debbie moaned, biting a little harder on Lou’s neck each time that she felt her add pleasure to her clit. She soothed Lou’s neck with her tongue, murmuring against her skin. “You’re supposed to be relaxing tonight.” Lou smirked in return and let her hand fall to her side.

“Good girl,” Debbie whispered and lowered herself inches down Lou’s warm body, the scent of arousal beginning to hit her the lower that she went.

She found her breasts, her nipples already hard and waiting for her attention. She rolled her tongue over the peak of one and cupped the other with her hand. She pinched a nipple between her thumb and forefinger until she received the aching moan from Lou and then she moved on, seeking further desire.

She trailed a line of long, wet kisses over her stomach and Lou arched her back in attempts to get even more of Debbie’s devotion. Debbie smiled against her skin, lowering herself another inch until she reached her hips.

This time Lou’s impatience got the better of her, she needed Debbie, she needed her so badly. She raised her hips and Debbie grinned that confident grin that she always did when Lou grew tired of her teasing. She glanced up at her and Lou was staring back down, her eyes fiery yet yearning and her lips pulled into a tight line just waiting for Debbie to give in to her needs.

Her own desire was growing and she brushed her hand over Lou’s wetness, satisfied that she was ready for her. She tore her eyes away from her and lowered herself one final time. She stroked her fingers lightly over her clit until she was in the right position. She wetted her lips before leaning in, Lou’s arousal was strong and she moaned before she had even tasted her.

Another arch of her back was all that it took to get Debbie going and she dove forward, her tongue darting eagerly into Lou. She buried her head into her, Lou’s thighs squeezing against her tightly. She reveled into her wetness, sucking up all that she could find and exploring her as if it was for the very first time.

Lou moaned, her hands finding Debbie’s hair and her fingers looping through it with a comfortable ease. Debbie’s thumb reached Lou’s clit once again and she rubbed it with congealed pressure, keeping up a steady rhythm. Her tongue continued to seek out every crevice that it could, licking and sucking until she could feel the start of Lou’s unraveling.

“Deb. Yes…” Lou moaned and her grip on Debbie tightened with each passing second.

She kept up her pace, her tongue making long fast movements between Lou’s legs. She felt that slight shiver coming from her thighs and she knew that she was close to her peak. She sped up the pace on her clit and Lou let out a low, husky scream; her legs shaking against Debbie’s head as her orgasm flooded through her.

Debbie tidied up, making short work in cleaning up everything that Lou had offered her. Lou’s breath was still jolty and she reached out for Debbie whose hands locked into hers in mere seconds. She crawled back up to meet Lou, her hair was messy and a pleasured smile still stained her lips.

Lou was her past but she was also her present and she hoped that she would be her future too. She cupped her flushed cheek with the palm of her hand and kissed her passionately; she couldn’t give this up. She wouldn’t give Lou up, she’d talk to her soon but right now she was tired and she wanted to sleep in Lou’s arms and escape into their own little world. She _would_ have that talk though, she would.


	4. Chapter 4

The previous night had been perfect, more than perfect. Of course, Lou had repaid Debbie’s favor multiple times and Debbie had done the same right back. It turned out that neither of them had much sleep because they were too interested in pleasuring each other. They had woken up late and she could tell that Debbie had had a nightmare at some point because there were visible bags under each of her eyes and every time she asked her how she was she would turn quiet and only respond with one word answers.

She was working the late shift at the club which meant that she could spend the day with Debbie. She was already downstairs waiting for her. Sitting in front of the roaring fireplace with various presents and gift wrap scattered around her. The scene itself made her smile; it really was as if she had stepped back in time.

She cleared her throat so as not to startle Debbie on her arrival and she looked over at her. Lou could see that something was still playing on her mind, not only did she look tired but she also looked wary, nervous even. “Morning.” She spoke quietly and Debbie’s face turned to one of happiness.

“It’s four in the afternoon.” She chuckled and threw some discarded gift wrap across the room so that there was a space for Lou to sit down beside her.

Lou’s knees let out a short creak as she sat down which both she and Debbie ignored. “Who’s keeping time?”

There were a few seconds of silence as Debbie held the wrapping paper tightly over one of the presents and Lou scanned just what presents had been wrapped and which ones still remained. “I need to borrow your finger.” Debbie grunted, giving up in trying to complete the task on her own.

“I bet.” She waggled her eyebrows but placed her finger in the exact spot which needed to be held down.

“Shut up.”

“You shoulda called me down, I would’ve helped you wrap.”

“It’s all right, I don’t mind.” Debbie taped the present up and Lou removed her finger.

“Says the woman who said ‘let’s buy everyone experiences so we don’t have to wrap them’ only a few years back.” Lou remembered it well; it was a good Christmas for them. They had pulled off a big steal at Macy’s and had somehow managed to sell everything that they had taken at almost the exact same retail price. Christmas always did seem to be a good time for sales.

“That was pretty smart though, right?” Debbie too, remembered that Christmas. It was one of the last ones that she had spent with Danny still alive. She looked down at the wrapped gift and placed it to the side. “I guess it’s just different this year. I’ve missed the simple things like shitty sticky tape and glitter getting everywhere.” She brushed the scattering of said glitter off of her knee and watched it float majestically to the ground.

Lou bit the inside of her cheek, understanding what Debbie had meant. “How did you spend Christmas day last year?” She asked, trying again to get Debbie to open up about her time behind bars because if she knew anything then she knew that things always seemed better once they had been spoken about.

“Solitary.” She answered and didn’t know why she had but for some reason, she was feeling more open than she usually was. She still didn’t know why Lou kept asking her about prison but it seemed that the more she avoided the topic, the more she’d be asked about it.  

“How come?” Lou continued to prompt her, those missing years of Debbie’s life still plaguing her with both guilt and helplessness.

“It was too depressing singing rude versions of Christmas carols with a bunch of damn convicts. Besides it’s easier to focus when you’re alone.”

“I tried to call you.” She whispered and felt repentant because there probably could have been more that she could have done. She hadn’t been in a good place for the entirety of Debbie’s sentence and the club and her release date were the only things that had gotten her through it.

“I know.” She waited, her mouth open while she tried to keep her mind off of what she wanted to know, but before she could stop herself, she spoke those words that she was holding in. “How did you spend it?” She didn’t want to ask that question, not really, anyway. Of course, her mind had wandered to Lou at every spare moment while she was in prison and she always wondered what she was doing without her but she never really did want to know.

“At the club, drunk.” She knew what was coming next and she stared ahead at the fireplace trying to prolong the inevitable. She wasn’t ashamed, not really. She had only done what she had to in order to survive but she knew that Debbie wouldn’t have seen it that way.

Lou’s detachment worried her and then confirmed that those images that she had tried to banish of Lou and somebody else were likely very true.  “Were you with a woman?” Debbie could hear the venom seep through in her voice but she didn’t seem to care about showing her jealousy this time. This time she just wanted to know the answer and every second that Lou was not answering her was causing her head to recreate those images of Lou and another brunette. Another her.

_Fuck._ She was trying to think of a way to answer without hurting her but the only way to do that was to lie and they didn’t lie to one another. Not anymore.  “I was.” She said regrettably and Debbie turned her head away from her instantly. That hurt. That really hurt because Debbie had no idea just how hard it had been for her trying to survive without her.

“Nice, were you even thinking about me at all?” She spat and this time she was embracing the venom which dripped from every single word. She had tried not to think about what Lou had been doing, or who Lou had been doing but now that she knew, she could think of nothing but.

“You’re seriously mad about this?” Lou asked her and she was angry herself now. Debbie had turned back to her and her eyes were shining in that menacing way, the same way that they had done all those years ago in that dusty, old courtroom.

“Yeah because I fucking loved you and you were what? Out here fucking every woman that came into your damn club while I was locked up.” It was like she couldn’t stop, every single bottled up emotion from the last six years was there and they were just pouring out of her mouth like gasoline, each drop only fuelling the fire.

“You didn’t seem to love me when you were fucking Becker though, did you? You have no right to be mad at me for living my life.”

She knew that Lou would bring him up; he was the one constant in all of their arguments, both pre-prison and post-prison. She hated him, despised him, and no matter what seemed to happen, he still seemed to be destroying her life. “He meant nothing to me, you know that.” And he didn’t, he really didn’t. Anyone could have been her Becker, any spineless man who had little integrity and no honor.

“And those girls meant nothing to me. What did you expect me to do? Join a nunnery for five years?” She shook her head, because as much as she loved Debbie, she also knew her flaws and selfishness was one of those. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise for her to find that she wasn’t able to perceive things from a view other than her own.

“Little loyalty wouldn’t have gone amiss.” She didn’t mean that. “You know, I shouldn’t have even contacted you when I got out.” She certainly didn’t mean that. But her anger had won and that look that Lou had given her had been a look that she had never seen before. She looked as if Debbie had just killed her and maybe she had done.

Lou stood up, the only thing she felt stronger than anger, was hurt and she couldn’t quite believe that Debbie had just said what she had done. “You are unbelievable. I am nothing but loyal to you.” Her voice faltered and she really wished that it hadn’t but that’s what happened when she let her get under her skin. She saw Debbie take a breath, an instant sign of remorse but she didn’t want to hear it, she was done with this conversation.  “I’m going to the club, don’t wait up.”

“Lou, wait.”  She stood up, far faster than she had planned and her legs faltered and Lou was out of that door before she had even gotten halfway across the room. “Fuck. Lou, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… ” She shouted through the open door but she knew it was useless because Lou was practically a gazelle and she had all but galloped out of the loft.

The door slammed shut before she reached it and she was left alone again and just like every other time, she had only herself to blame. She dropped to the couch, her head falling into her hands. Why did she even care about who Lou was fucking all of those years ago? Why was she so hung up on things that couldn’t be changed? Tears started to fall and nobody was around to see her cry, so she let them fall, each tear stinging her eyes more than the last. She had really done it this time, she had really lost her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, this was a bit of a tough one, sorry about that!


	5. Chapter 5

They had slept alone last night for the first time in quite some time. Debbie had to remove all of the storage from her bed and she found that sleeping without Lou was much harder than she had anticipated; especially knowing that she was only a wall away from her. She had heard Lou creep back in at around 2 am, she hadn’t slept until then, worried that she had decided to sleep elsewhere for the night. She had wanted to go and see her but she knew it was still too soon and there was no way that she was going to risk making things any worse than they already were.

She had spent the morning with Amita, who had proven to not only be a good shoulder to cry on, but had also given her some pretty solid advice. She was now waiting by the ice rink in Central Park, her eyes constantly scanning the area, looking for Lou, who had yet to make an appearance. She had texted her the details about an hour ago and had been left on ‘read’, which she deserved, but it still hurt.

Lou had been in two minds about whether to come or not. She had read Debbie’s text instantly, it was short and unapologetic but had she really expected Debbie to be the type of person to apologize over text message? She had been window shopping for the past hour, she still hadn’t got Debbie anything and right about now, the only thing that she could think of buying for her was a big lump of coal.

She seemed to walk to the park without even realizing it, her feet naturally carrying her towards the ice rink. She saw Debbie almost right away. She was looking over in the other direction, her hair in loose waves, wearing a black sweater and her favorite pair of jeans which made her ass look amazing. She was donning a pair of ice skates and was holding another pair by the laces, swinging them to and fro like a compass. She turned, spotting her within a few seconds and giving her an awkward wave. There was no going back now.

As she walked closer, she could see that Debbie was wearing very little makeup and she looked tired, more so than she had done the day before. “I’m so glad you came.” Debbie uttered once Lou was close by and Lou just shrugged in response because of course, she would come, when could she ever say no to her?

She could see that Lou was still mad at her, she hadn’t looked her in the eye and she hadn’t greeted her with the usual warm hug that was reserved for only her. She swallowed and Lou finally looked her in the eye, a look of anger still present in those irresistible blue eyes of hers. “Lou, I am so sorry.” She placed a hand on her arm and felt truly pathetic after saying those words because they weren’t enough but she didn’t know what else to say.

Lou remained silent and she didn’t know whether that was because she wanted her to continue or because she didn’t know how to respond. She hadn’t reacted to her touch either and this iciness that she was presenting was hurting her just as much as the shouting had done the night before. “I didn’t mean any of it. Everything I said was just from anger. I was mad and I was jealous and God, I wish that I hadn’t said any of it.”

Debbie’s hand was trailing up and down her arm and her eyes were pleading and she looked fragile, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment. “I can’t keep fighting with you, Deb. I can’t do it.” She hated seeing Debbie like this and she hated feeling like this. She hated spending the night avoiding home and she hated the feeling of having to walk on eggshells in case something else caused them to fight. She hated it all and it had to stop for both of their sakes.

Debbie nodded slowly and settled her arm on Lou’s elbow. “I don’t wanna fight with you either.” She looked down, her hair falling forward and masking her face. Last night’s fight had been their worst since her return from prison and she really hoped that it would be their last.  

“Do you really think that I’m not loyal to you?” Lou asked; she hadn’t stopped thinking about that since Debbie had said it. Those words, in particular, had stung her because there hadn’t been a single day that she hadn’t been thinking of Debbie while she had been away.

Her head snapped up at Lou’s question and she shook her head almost immediately. “No, of course not. I don’t know why I said that.” She dropped her hand from Lou’s arm and folded her arms across her chest. “Just the thought of you with someone else, it fucking kills me.”

“I know that feeling.” Lou said quietly and she didn’t want to think of him but of course, his image chose to pop into her head almost right away.

Lou needn’t have said anymore, she knew exactly what she had meant. Yet again, their conversation was heading towards that mistake of hers. “I put you through hell with him; can you ever forgive me?”

“I told you, I already have but you need to forgive yourself.” Debbie nodded at that and Lou knew that it was what she needed to do despite the fact that it wouldn’t be easy and it would take some time. “How about we don’t bring up his name ever again and we don’t talk about stuff that happened a long time ago. What do you say?”

Debbie smiled faintly, that certainly seemed like a good idea. “I’d like that. From now on we only talk about the present.” She wanted to hug her but something was still holding her back. She would do what she had said though, sometimes the past needed to be just that, the past.

“And the future.” She added and she hoped more than anything that they'd both be able to stick to this new rule of theirs.

That little curve on Lou’s lips was all it took for Debbie to feel like everything was all right again and she pulled Lou in for a hug. Her warmth calmed her and that mixed with the scent of her expensive perfume was enough to set her mind to rest, for now anyway. “I’ve missed you,” She whispered into her ear and she could feel Lou hugging her back and so she held on to her even tighter. “Skate with me?” She asked after Lou had gently pulled away.

Lou looked down at the skates which Debbie had started to swing once again. “You’re such a damn child.” She shook her head affectionately but who was she kidding? Both she and Debbie knew that she was going to be getting on that ice with her.

“Is that a yes?” Debbie asked, her smile growing as she saw Lou look over her shoulder at the busy ice rink seeming to consider the option.

Lou sighed, she hadn’t been ice skating in years but it seemed like that was about to all change. “Only if you buy me lunch after this.”

“You got yourself a deal there, Miller.” She held out the pair of skates to Lou who took them and walked over to the nearby bench to change into them. She watched her all the while; Amita had been right when she had told her not to let Lou go. This had been her wakeup call, she had been so close to losing her again and it had been over something so stupid it was almost embarrassing.

Lou handed in her boots to the guy at the stand and made her way out onto the ice where Debbie was already waiting for her. She slipped her hand into Debbie’s and surprisingly, she managed to find her balance reasonably quickly. “You better not pull me down,” She warned and Debbie just laughed, squeezing her hand even tighter.

They skated a couple of laps together, making sure to keep to the sides while kids whizzed past them on the inside. They still had a lot to talk about, there were still so many unspoken feelings that needed to be tackled but for now, it seemed that some kind of understanding had been reached. Debbie turned to Lou with a smile; advice hadn’t been the only thing that Amita had been helping her out with and she couldn’t wait to let Lou in on her little secret.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a really lovely Christmas, now lets enjoy these cuties <3

It was the first snowfall of the year. A light scattering of snow had swept across the city overnight, replacing the usual drab greys of the city landscape with a soft white tarnish. Along with the snow, came a dangerous sheet of ice which seemed to have only attacked the streets that they were driving down. The usually short journey to the cemetery doubled in length and the car heater kept turning itself off every five minutes.

The ride over had been pretty quiet with Lou concentrating on the road and Debbie concentrating on Lou. They were back to sharing a bed again which was a relief to them both because there was nothing worse than sleeping alone, especially when it was only two days until Christmas.

A sudden burst of heat sputtered out of the heater on the dashboard and Debbie placed her hands over it, reaping the benefits for all of ten seconds before the heat shut off again. “It’s kinda cute how you still kept this old thing even though you could buy a Porsche or a Bentley or something.” She looked over at Lou who was still staring ahead of her, concentration laced on her forehead and she could only tell that she had heard her from the slight hint of a smirk which teased at the side of her lips.

“Is that your way of telling me that I should get some new wheels?” Lou asked and pulled the car over into a vacant spot at the side of the road. She unbuckled her belt and leaned forward, giving the heater a slap with the back of her hand. It failed to make any kind of movement and she shrugged, placing her hands in each of her coat pockets instead.

Debbie watched her with that ‘I told you so’ face; the heater was only one of the problems which Lou’s old van had encountered. “I mean, I wouldn’t be against it.”

Lou glanced out of the window, the cemetery, like usual, seemed to be empty. “I’ll wait here for you.” She said and turned back to Debbie who was looking at her intensely, a look that she hadn’t expected to receive.

“You should come see Danny with me.” She placed her hand on Lou’s knee, her thumb rubbing over the soft material of her pants. The last time that she had visited Danny was about a week ago and she had told him all about Lou and all about the future that she wanted to have with her, it was always so easy to speak about her when she wasn’t there. All the words that she had wanted to say to her had been heard by Danny; if only she were brave enough to actually say them to Lou.

She knew how big of a deal it was that Debbie had asked her to join her. Visiting Danny was always something that she did alone, it was private; it was special. Their bond had always been so strong and even now she could tell that her brother was one of the most important people in her life. “I’d love to.” She smiled and Debbie matched her expression, leaning forward and giving her a quick peck on the cheek before she got out of the car.

Debbie collected the bunch of flowers which had been stored in the back seat of the truck and she carried them carefully in her right arm. Lou waited for her to join her before she started to walk. She linked her arm into Debbie’s and they carefully navigated through the snow to where Danny’s grave was situated.

Lou gave Debbie a moment to be with Danny alone. She stood at the side, her back leaning on the wall as she watched Debbie lay the flowers down. She bowed her head, giving her some more privacy while she spoke to her brother, the whole scene playing out ahead of her was intense and emotional yet it all seemed so natural to Debbie.

“Hey,” Debbie called and waved Lou over to her. She sat down on the bench in front of Danny and Lou sat down beside her, still feeling a little awkward. Debbie seemed to pick up on this vibe and she bent down to where her purse was laying. She pulled out a flask and two glasses and Lou looked at her disbelievingly because that was probably the last thing that she had expected to see come out of Debbie’s purse.

Debbie hadn’t seemed to notice Lou’s expression and she poured each of them a Martini, each one topped with an olive. “It’s Danny’s drink,” She explained and handed one over to Lou who accepted it, again, still unsure as to how Debbie had managed to keep all of the ingredients in her purse but she didn’t question her.

She swished her own drink around a couple of times before raising her glass toward Danny. “Merry Christmas, Dan. Wherever you are, I hope you’re causing a lot of fucking trouble.”

Lou did the same, her glass pointing ahead of her, “To Danny.” She held it a little higher and Debbie did the same.

A moment of silence followed before Debbie broke it by turning to Lou. “And to the future,” She added and clinked her glass against Lou’s. She could have said a lot more and she wanted to but she was going to save it for a little longer. Besides, all of her words would sound so much prettier when they were accompanied by a diamond.

“The future,” Lou repeated and God, she really hoped that she and Debbie would have a future together. It seemed to change from day to day with them, one day she could see them growing old together and then the next, she could see everything but. One thing that she knew for certain though, was that she needed to find out what it was that they were going to do before the New Year. There was no way that she was going to spend another year in limbo.

“You know, Danny always did like you,” Debbie said after taking a sip of her drink.

“Oh, I know.” Lou said with a smile which caused Debbie to raise her eyebrows.  

“You do?”

“He told me so right after he told me he’d break my arm if I ever hurt you.” She laughed at the recollection, it had been the first time that she had met Danny and Debbie had just told him that they were a couple. He had played into the whole protective big brother stereotype and to this day, she still didn’t know whether he had been serious or not.

“He’d have had to get through me first.” Debbie slipped her hand into Lou’s and took another sip from her martini glass. Her mind wandered to her brother and the countless Christmas’ they had spent when they were younger, fighting over the most trivial things. The two of them had always fought but they had also been each other’s biggest fan and she had trusted Danny with her life. “Thanks for coming.” She whispered to Lou who had, once again, gone quiet.

“Thanks for inviting me,” She replied, stirring out of her reverie. She had been thinking about what this had all meant. It was a big step for Debbie, that was for sure and she felt honored to have even been asked. Maybe she was thinking too much into it though, maybe Debbie just didn't want to be alone this time.

Debbie stood up and collected the two, now empty, glasses placing them back into her purse. “Do you think you can drop me off at Amita’s? I promised I’d help her bake Christmas cookies.” She asked, as casually as she could do. She doubted Lou would suspect anything especially since it had hardly been smooth sailing for them since her return from her road trip.

“Since when do you bake?” Lou stood up and placed her hands in her pockets, the sudden chill seeming to hit her as soon as there was a distance between her and Debbie.

Debbie shrugged and gave a passing smile towards Danny before leaving the cemetery with Lou. “I have to keep myself entertained somehow now that there’s no heist to plan.” She sighed, remembering how much she really did miss planning and, more so, carrying out heists. Still, the New Year was quickly approaching and with a new year always came new opportunities.

“You better bake me a big cookie,” Lou climbed back into the car and the smallest amount of warmth greeted her, maybe Debbie did have a point, maybe it was about time that she got a new car.

“Extra big,” Debbie grinned before walking around to the passenger side, convinced that Lou really did have no idea about what she had planned.

Lou started up the car, already dreading driving into the city under the current weather conditions. She still had to find a gift for Debbie though and this year, she had left it even longer than she had ever done before. She watched Debbie out of the corner of her eye; her head was now rested on the window, her coat pulled up as high as it could to try and keep her warm in the admittedly cold car. She dragged her eyes off of her and back to the road, hopefully, inspiration for Debbie’s gift would hit her sooner rather than later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, guys! I hope 2019 treats all of you right <3

One thing she knew that Debbie disliked most about the holiday period was the music. She found it cheesy and repetitive and every year the same songs seemed to be playing in every single establishment. Actually, it was a view that she shared with her and that’s why it came as a surprise to her to find Debbie laying on the couch listening to none other than that Christmas music that she hated so much.

She had just come off the phone with one of the managers at her club; she was now officially off work until the New Year, which was yet another benefit to being the boss. “Another?” She asked as Debbie downed the last of her mulled wine.

She nodded in response and handed her empty glass over to Lou. She needed a sober head but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t have a bit of alcohol for courage, right? She had the ring in the pocket of her blazer and she couldn’t have been more aware that it was there. The small case seemed to be mocking her, digging into her sides with every tiny movement that she made.

Lou returned moments later and handed the now full glass of wine back to Debbie. “Why are you listening to this?” She asked as Mariah Carey continued to echo through her speakers. She placed her own glass of wine down on the table and went to adjust the fireplace. The fireplace itself seemed to have been a good investment seeing as this winter season seemed to be the coldest one yet.

“Listening to what?” Debbie asked and scooted off of the couch, only to reposition herself on one of the blankets in front of the fireplace. The music that was playing was honestly the last thing on her mind.

Lou glanced over at her, “What’s going on? You’re acting weird.” Debbie seemed hypnotized by the flames in front of her, her mind clearly wasn’t on their conversation and she wondered what it was that seemed to be bothering her.

She shook her head. “No, nothing’s going on.” This wasn’t going as she had planned but then she had barely planned it at all. ‘Be spontaneous,’ Amita had told her, but spontaneity was a trait that she didn’t possess; she was much more of a planner, always had been and always would be.

“Okay,” Lou continued to alter the fire until it reached a suitable heat, the orange flames dancing wilder in accordance to the new setting.

“We need to talk.” Debbie stated firmly, a little louder than was necessary. She had forced herself to start the conversation because had she not have done it then, then she may not have done it at all. Amita had been certain that Lou was going to say yes but Debbie still had her doubts. It had only been a couple of days since their last fight and she was worried that Lou hadn’t fully forgiven her for what she had said despite saying that she had.

Lou stopped what she was doing and stood up straight, “Oh, I agree.” A hint of a smile pulled at her lips, it seemed that Debbie was finally ready to open up to her. “But we’re not talking with pop music in the background.” She switched off the music which she found had been playing through Debbie’s Spotify. She silently judged her before pacing back to where she was and sitting down beside her.

Debbie had waited in silence, attempting to arrange her thoughts into something that would at least make some kind of sense. Lou had appeared beside her sooner than she had expected and once again, she was caught off guard. “I’m an asshole,” she said and then regretted it because who the hell starts off a proposal with that line?

Lou just looked at her with that raised eyebrow before reaching over for her wine and taking a sip of it. “I suppose we could start with that.” She placed her glass back on the table and noticed that Debbie was circling her own glass with the tip of her index finger. She placed her hand on top of hers to stop the movement, whatever it was that Debbie was about to say was going to be big because Debbie _never_ got nervous.

She looked down at Lou’s hand on top of hers, not even realizing that she had been doing anything to render such a reaction. Lou removed her hand and she placed the glass of wine behind her. “I’m being serious; I should have spoken to you after the heist or after you got back from your trip. I should have spoken to you long before now.”

Lou’s eyes met with Debbie’s and she could see a look of vulnerability in them that she hadn’t seen in quite some time. “Spoken to me about what exactly?” She asked and hoped that she’d receive the answer that she was expecting.

“About us, about how I feel.”

Lou nodded, “Right, you should have but I never said anything to you either. I guess we’re both as bad as one another.” She smiled, looking away for a moment because maybe she should have pushed her harder.

Debbie laughed to herself, “Constance was right, we’re fucking idiots.”

“You’re changing the subject again,” Lou looked back at Debbie, her eyebrow raised smugly.

Debbie sighed _, just say it, Deb._ She sat up onto her knees, slipping one of her hands softly into Lou’s. Lou smiled at her, silent with only the gentle sound of her breathing being heard over the angry flames of the fire. This was it, the time was finally right; the moment she had been waiting for was finally there. “I’m still in love with you. I always have been, all through prison, all that time during the heist. Actually, I think I grew more in love with you during that heist. Then you were gone and I fucking missed you every day and when you came back it hit me. I can’t live without you, Lou. I don’t want to live without you...”

She had always imagined proposing to Lou. Outside the Statue of Liberty, at the top of the Empire State Building, in the middle of Central Park with a whole damn orchestra playing but this; this, sitting in front of the fireplace in their living room on Christmas Eve with a half-drunken glass of mulled wine behind her; this wasn’t what she had been expecting. Still, she ran with it because she knew that Lou didn’t care much for the extravagances, not when it came to their relationship anyway. She continued to pause, to soak up that expression on Lou’s face so that she could remember it forever. That look of surprise, of wonder, of years of love that hadn’t seemed to have faded one little bit.

She reached in her pocket with her free hand, clasping the ring as soon as she had felt it. She pulled it out as quickly as she could, her eyes burning into Lou’s, “I don’t want to live without you. Will you marry me?” She asked so nervously that she felt like a teenager again and every second that Lou was looking back at her without so much as a word was killing her. At this moment in time, she fully believed that she had stopped breathing.

The most beautiful diamond was being presented to her by Debbie’s trembling hand. Her eyes glistened, her lips parted ever so slightly, frozen to that spot on the floor beside her. Lou opened her mouth to speak but all she could do at that moment was smile from ear to ear because this had been so much better than what she had been expecting. They always joked about marriage but it was always just that, a joke, she never thought Debbie would actually propose.

This whole thing was so unlike Debbie. Debbie Ocean would have usually made a show about something like this. She would have called everyone that she knew and probably have attempted to shut down the whole city, but this, this was simple and loving. It wasn’t grand or spectacular and it wouldn’t result in a round of applause afterward. It wasn’t a show; it was an act of love. It was honest and pure and God, it only made her fall in love with her all over again.

“Yes. Fuck yeah. There’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.” She threw her arms around Debbie and enveloped every part of her. She wasn’t a crier but there was no way that she could have stopped that tear from falling, so she let it slide down her cheek, her emotions taking over from her.  

Debbie held on to Lou so damn tightly, never feeling more relieved than she had done at that moment. She pulled away only so that she could see her face. She wiped away that stray tear with her thumb and kissed her damp cheek. She hovered there, listening to Lou’s breathing, feeling the warmth of her skin and then she kissed her properly, cradling her face in each of her hands.

They parted and Debbie slid the ring onto Lou’s finger. It was the perfect fit; she had memorized her ring size long ago. Lou continued to beam as she looked down at it, “This is perfect, Deb.”

She watched Lou admire the diamond on her finger; she had known exactly what she had wanted to get her and Amita had complied so perfectly. Lou’s smile was met with one of her own and she swallowed that lump in her throat. “It is, isn’t it?”

“So that’s what you were doing when you and Amita were 'burning' the cookies.” She laughed, she really had no idea.

“You caught me.”

Lou looked back to Debbie who was still staring at her with that goofy smile. “I love you, you know I never stopped.”

“I know, baby.” She whispered, she never really did doubt Lou’s love for her; it was the one thing that had always remained constant.

“I can’t wait to see the girls faces when we tell them.” Lou let her hand fall to her side, already comfortable with the added weight on her finger.

“They’re all gonna want to be bridesmaids aren’t they?” She laughed, the image of the six of their friends bundling down the aisle in matching dresses entering her mind.

“You bet.” She looked back down at her diamond; she knew how expensive this would have been and it wasn’t like she could have stolen this one because it was pretty much custom made. “Come outside with me.” She said and stood up before receiving any kind of answer from Debbie.

“Why? It’s cold.” Debbie stood up anyway, knowing there must be a good reason for why Lou wanted to leave their nice, warm apartment to go and stand out in the frosty air.

Lou slipped her hand into Debbie’s once she was standing and headed for the door, Debbie dragging slightly behind her. “It’s time for my present to you.”

Debbie stopped still and Lou looked over her shoulder. “But it’s not Christmas Day yet.” She grinned childishly, not even knowing why she was delaying her present for longer than she had to. She blamed the excitement of the engagement, their engagement. Holy shit, they were engaged now.

“Come on.” Lou tugged at her arm again and this time Debbie practically skipped toward her. She led her outside, around to the side of the apartment and into the garage. The idea for Debbie’s present had come to her the second after she had dropped her off at Amita’s house the previous day.

Debbie’s jaw dropped when she saw the car occupied in the usually empty space in the garage. It was sitting beside Lou’s old truck and the comparison between the two was almost indescribable. The black Range Rover, smooth and slick and calling for all attention to be drawn to it. “Are you for real? I love it!” She hugged Lou and then ran over to take a closer look at the vehicle.

Lou followed Debbie and stood by the hood of the car while Debbie circled it, running her hand over each surface that she could find. “It’s for our road trips because I ain’t leaving you behind ever again.” And she meant that because as much as she loved her motorcycle, she loved Debbie even more. Her motorcycle would suffice for a solo journey but the Range Rover was the only option that she’d be choosing if Debbie was involved.

Debbie’s hand froze over the roof of the car after hearing those words from Lou. She stopped admiring it and instead, walked back over to where Lou was standing. “I love you,” She wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her closer and only stopping when there was no longer any space left between them.

“I love you, too.” Lou whispered against Debbie’s lips and kissed her. This was already shaping up to be the best Christmas ever.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this one month late or eleven months early? We shall never know. Ha, no I'm kidding, I'm sorry at how late this is, my muse was refusing to cooperate for a while.

Christmas morning was always the most magical morning of the year, and that feeling never seemed to diminish even when you were an adult. This magic, however, had been void for the past few years but it would be safe to say that it had finally returned that year. They were both awake, and both longing for the morning to extend itself so that they could remain wrapped up in each other’s arms for as long as possible.  

Lou placed a soft kiss on Debbie’s forehead and her smile deepened as she did so. She still couldn’t quite believe that Debbie had proposed, the only thing that reminded her of that fact was the heavy ring on her finger and the gentle flutter of butterflies that had settled inside her stomach the previous evening and were still very much enjoying their new home inside of her. She hadn’t felt this happy in a while, probably since the first time that she had seen Debbie outside of prison. She had always been waiting for her, and Debbie was always worth the wait. From now on though, things would be different. She wouldn’t need to wait for her anymore because this time, there would be no third person; this time it was just her and Debbie and she planned on making sure that it stayed that way forever.

Debbie was watching Lou intently, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. She found her eyes resting on her lips which were set in a small upwards curve and that expression that she displayed only made the smile of her own even wider. She hummed, pushing her hips into Lou’s, the warmth coming from her was inviting and she found herself even more reluctant to leave their current position than she had been before. Still, she knew that they couldn’t spend the entire day in the bedroom, not when they had visitors arriving in only a few hours’ time. “We should really get out of bed soon.” She whispered but the only movement that she made was one that brought her closer to Lou.

Lou resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing that Debbie wanted to get up just as little as she did. “We really should.” She leaned forward and grazed her lips over Debbie’s, her hands already starting to wander over the naked body that was pressed up against her.

Debbie's heart rate was increasing and Lou’s hand was resting dangerously upon her left thigh and she was doing everything that she could to stop herself from moving it to the place that she needed her the most. “The girls are gonna be here soon,” she bit out as soon as Lou’s lips had pulled away from hers to catch some air. Her head remained impossibly close to Lou’s, her hand reaching up to weave through her honeyed locks.

“Wouldn’t be the first time they caught us in a compromising positon.” Lou raised an eyebrow, her eyes widening slightly as she recalled the many times that one of their friends had walked in after a kiss that they had shared. Each reaction had been the same, a look of embarrassment followed by a smile and then the subject being changed entirely by Debbie. The same Debbie, who was looking at her with dark, hungry eyes and she knew only too well what was going to end up happening.

“We’ll be quick.” Debbie grinned and lay back on the bed, her head settling on the pillow behind her. Lou just smiled in return and took on her favorite position on top of her. Was there really any better way to celebrate their engagement?

Lou snapped her hand away from Debbie’s thigh and wrapped each of her hands around Debbie’s wrists, guiding them to the head of the bed. “Quick, huh?” She leaned down and kissed her, her hands still pinning her arms above her head.

Debbie fidgeted beneath Lou, trying to get her center to rub against Lou’s thigh despite it being just out of her reach. She groaned into Lou’s mouth because, of course, she knew exactly what she was doing. She stopped fighting as soon as Lou’s tongue met hers and instead, her eyes fluttered closed and she gave into submission, falling completely under Lou’s control.

She loved the feeling of being in control, watching Debbie put all of her trust in her and completely unravel was one of her favorite things. She let her hands travel over her body, stopping at her breasts and tweaking her nipples enough so that they were raised and ready for her.

Debbie moaned, her lips meeting a tortured cold as soon as Lou left them. Lou's mouth had soon found one of her nipples and she was sucking and pulling at it in just the way that she liked. And then there was her hand that had found her clit almost as soon as it had brushed past her thigh.

Debbie was wet for her, _so_ wet. If she hadn’t been sucking so passionately on her breast then she would have for sure, let out a moan of her own. She rubbed over her clit with the tips of her fingers, circling in a clockwise motion. Debbie let out a loud moan and those butterflies in her stomach turned into a heated pit. _This woman_.

She repositioned herself lower on the bed, her head between Debbie’s legs; glancing up to see that yearning hunger evident on Debbie’s face. She let out a soft whimper, her impatience beating any attempt she had of playing it cool. She smiled up at her before plunging her tongue deep inside of her; if Debbie wanted to be quick then she could certainly do that. She liked to think that she was somewhat of a professional when it came to making Debbie Ocean cum.

Debbie gasped, her hips thrusting against Lou’s tongue until she had found a steady rhythm. “Oh, god.” She panted, her eyes rolling closed again and her hands slamming down from behind her head and clinging onto the bed sheets beneath her.

Lou buried her tongue as deep as she could, curling and sucking while Debbie wriggled beneath her. Her thumb returned to her clit which was rigid and waiting for her and she strummed it lightly; continuous moans echoing through the room.

Debbie tried her hardest to hold out for as long as she could but it didn’t take long for her to completely unravel onto Lou. She screamed her name, her legs shaking and her hips pulsating every few seconds. Her eyes opened and she caught Lou cleaning herself up and crawling back up to meet her.

She flung her arms around her as soon as she returned to her end of the bed, her lips finding Lou’s within seconds. They had always been so compatible with everything, especially within the bedroom. She sucked on Lou’s bottom lip and then let her flop down onto the bed beside her. Lou was lying on her side, her hand resting gently on Debbie’s stomach. “I love you, baby.” Debbie breathed softly, her fingers lightly tracing over her favorite diamond in the whole world.

“I love you, too.” Lou whispered and leaned her forehead forward so that it touched hers. Debbie was lucky that she had been quick because it certainly would be quite some time before they would be moving from the position they were currently curled up in.

* * *

Amita had been the first to arrive, and she had been there at least fifteen minutes prior to their meeting time. She had to be the first one to find out how the proposal went and as soon as she saw her handiwork sitting prettily on Lou’s engagement ring finger, she knew that it had gone splendidly.

Tammy had been next and she was already on her third drink of the day; the kids were thankfully, taking a well-earned nap while she was out and she was planning on making the most of spending time with adults.

Rose and Daphne had arrived together, both sporting items from Rose’s upcoming collection. Daphne’s arm was tightly linked into Rose’s and they were both balancing large bags full of gifts on the crook of their free elbows.

Constance had arrived with Nineball and they had both been laughing at some private joke that none of the others seemed to be involved in.

It hadn’t taken long for the wine to pour and the stories to start, everyone divulging in the gossip and details of one another’s lives. It really had been far too long since they had all hung out together. Next came the presents and everyone had gone completely overboard, but, really, they were all multi-millionaires now, who wouldn’t have gone overboard?

The conversation soon turned less erratic and Daphne had decided that she would be the one to voice the unanimous thought that everyone else was keeping to themselves. “Okay, how long do we have to keep ignoring that insane ring on Lou’s finger for?”

“Daph, you’ve ruined the announcement.” Amita frowned but was thankful that something had been said because she was dying for the news to be out in the open, there was only so long that she could keep something that big to herself.

Rose had pulled Lou’s hand toward her instantaneously and was now studying the ring as closely as she could, angling Lou’s hand so it hit the light in a way that really made the diamond glisten. Daphne leaned across the table to gain a better look and then shrugged, “What? That thing has blinded me like three times already.”

“I call maid of honor.” Constance jumped up from her seat and rushed over to where Lou was sitting to look over Rose’s shoulder at the glistening ring.

Nine followed, “You can’t just call maid of honor.” She stood the other side of Lou and, like the others, started to admire the diamond.

Tammy congratulated Debbie before they both joined the others in circulating around Lou. “That’s obviously my spot because I’ve known them the longest.” She gave Debbie a smile in hopes to confirm her theory but Debbie was already sharing a look of amusement with Lou.

“I helped with the ring so I should get it.” Amita added and was looking particularly smug as the admirations and compliments of the ring continued to flood the room.

“You can all be maids of honor.” Lou laughed and after what seemed like forever, managed to retrieve her hand back from Rose.

Naturally, the rest of the conversation consisted of an in-depth retelling of Debbie’s proposal followed by a detailed report of the ring itself by Amita. Suggestions and ideas were thrown into the wedding and it seemed that their friends were even more excited about their wedding than they were.

“You sure took your time, Deb.” Tammy laughed and looked over at Debbie and Lou who were sitting beside one another by the fireplace and for once, they weren’t even attempting to hide the fact that they were a couple; not that they ever did a very good job of that in the first place.

“What?” Debbie asked and looked at each of the seven faces that were staring at her in turn.

“Yeah, we were placing bets on how long it was gonna take until you popped the question.” Nine smirked and then took another sip of her drink.

“I said after the heist.” Rose inputted, signaling that their bet had been going on for quite some time.

Daphne leaned forward from her seat and raised a hand. “Yeah, you guys all owe me $500 because I totally called the holiday period.”

“You said New Year’s.” Tammy corrected and rolled her eyes at Daphne; because of course, she would bend the rules in her favor.

“Still counts.”

Lou chuckled and wrapped her arm around Debbie before addressing the group. “I can’t believe you guys placed bets on us.”

“Sorry moms.” Constance apologized unconvincingly and helped herself to another glass of wine before claiming a seat on the couch beside Tammy.

It hadn’t been long before people were leaving, ready to return to their families and own festivities. Lou returned from saying goodbye to Constance, who had taken countless pictures of her ring and had told her that she would be uploading it to the ‘gram, whatever that meant.

Debbie had headed towards the table in an attempt to make the number of empty glasses more manageable in the morning. She had just placed the last two in the sink, and Lou had surprised her by wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. “You are not seriously washing up on Christmas day, are you?”

Debbie snorted and let herself sink into Lou’s strong arms. “Don’t be ridiculous.” She turned around and planted a kiss on Lou’s lips. “As much as I love having the girls here, I love it when it’s just us two more.”

“Feeling’s mutual.” She smiled and once again, found herself falling completely into that deep, magnetic look in Debbie’s eyes.

“Have one more drink with me?” Debbie asked and had already turned to retrieve two fresh glasses from the cupboard. She grabbed the champagne which was still sitting on the side and poured out two glasses handing one to Lou once she had finished.

“If you insist.” Lou took her glass of champagne and held it up to Debbie’s.

“A toast to us…” Debbie started but she had nothing planned and thankfully Lou was there to pick up where she had left off.

“To the future.”

“Be it in heists or in marriage…”

“We’ll do it together.” Lou clinked her glass against Debbie’s, their eyes meeting intensely over their glasses of bubbles; “Every step of the way.”

“Every step of the way.” Debbie repeated and she and Lou both took a sip from their glasses. And surprisingly, she wasn’t scared, she wasn’t worried and she didn’t want to delve herself into another elaborate plan so as to put off her future with Lou. In fact, she felt just the opposite. She was ready to commit to Lou, for now and for always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Please let me know what you think and if you fancy just having a general fangirling sesh over the o8 gals then come chat with me on tumblr, my username is millerocean :) thanks again for reading! x


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